Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Gettysburg

One of your best post, buddy! I thank you for sharing this!
It is truly awesome to me, what these men did, on both sides! Is it any wonder so many people love this place?
Kirk, I regret we didn’t get to hook up, but I’m very glad that you got to see so much while you were here. I hope you and your wife gave a safe and pleasant trip home, and I am sure you will both remember this fondly.
For a ridge runner like me, I truly found Montana a wonderful place to be! I’m glad you made the trip! Please don’t be a stranger!😀
Reon

Both gg grandads company H 19th va inf were there both some how made it back for them to be there at that moment the “High water mark” I’m proud even though we lost 👍👍👍

Awesome thread. Many thanks for sharing. Hope you had an awesome time.

Ending up in DC and a picture of the Lincoln Memorial.

I had some expectations of learning and seeing some American history, but nothing of this magnitude. From the beginning, I was impressed with the beauty of this part of America. The drive around Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, was spectacular. The roads were great and the scenery was beautiful.

I have to thank a branch of our federal government, the National Park Service for buying, protecting, restoring and maintaining so much of these Civil War battlefields. To be able to visit these sites, look down from Cemetery Ridge to the trees where Lee sent Pickett’s charge against the Union solders across an open field with little change from how it was in July of 1863.

I came away with little condemnation of either side. Like the Indian wars of the 1860’s through the 1890’s, it is hard to find blame for any man fighting for his principles and way of life. There was a lot more to life in those days than most people can understand that led to the Civil War. Visiting battles and museums, it is clear that the Civil War was about slavery. It is also clear that Abe Lincoln wasn’t the idiot or evil person some people on the campfire make him out to be.

Probably the most impressive site that instills the real image of the war is the Devils Den, that to me, even though they say it was a staged picture, depicts the loneliness that existed in a war where tens of thousands of solders fought on so many fronts for those years.











Although their actions have been immortalized in prose and poetry, their names have been lost in the dust in the aftermath of the battle ending up in mass graves, forgotten to time and purpose. So many lives cut short and ruined over the inability to settle any conflicting ideologies without war, at such a great cost.

Trying to understand the battles in relationship to how the war was fought, leaves me still guessing. The brilliance of the leaders of both sides is evident on the way they clashed and responded to those conflicts. I didn’t go there with any idea of finding fault with any general on either side nor criticize and speculate how they should have done better. All that inconsequential “if he did that it would have been different” theoretical analysis is for others that don’t appreciate history. I wanted to find out what happened, not what could have happened.

I was also looking to find how much George Custer contributed to the war and realized how influential he was and how he changed the outdated philosophy of the purpose of Cavalry and he made the Cavalry into a very decisive tool for the Union Army. The battles he participated in and the difference he made was even greater than I had imagined.

The Civil War was fought on many fronts, and to see so many major conflicts in such a compact part of America, it was hard to believe I travel farther to hunt turkeys in Montana than I traveled in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The history of the West is compelling and most interesting to me, but to see this part of the United States and realize what it cost to keep it united, I have a greater admiration for all those that fought for the North and South…

One of the great things about living in Pennsyltucky is that I can pick up a rifle, walk a couple hundred yards, and I’m hunting!😎
I had people ask me why I wanna drive 25 or 30 miles to work?
Easy to answer. Yeah, I gotta get in my truck and drive a ways for groceries or parts or whatever.
But my closest neighbors are beautiful, quiet, and pretty tasty too!😀
You commented on long range shooting. My private range only stretches 150 yards, but a club I belong to has a 650 yard target. Several others do as well. It takes a little extra effort here in the east, I admit. But it can be done!😀
I ain’t likely to trade PA for MT, and you probably don’t want to trade either. I guess what we grew up with.
I take it you’re back home now? Glad that you had a safe and enjoyable trip!
Sorry we couldn’t get together. If I can get Jake to cooperate, I plan on going for a couple days later this summer. If nothing else, I’ll drive down myself and spend a day loafing around and visiting my old friends.
It has always been a dream of mine to take a camper and drive through VA and TN and GA to visit the various sights of the war. There’s a good it of French & Indian War within a hour or twos drive as well.
If you want to expand your horizons some more, I’d be happy to help with suggestions!😀
Reon

Thanks shrapnel. Great post. Great thread.

Well put, Kirk, well put. Jeez, next time reach out in advance and let we locals do a proper job of hosting you!!

I guess that living my entire life in Maryland and Pennsylvania, most of it within spitting distance of battlefields (and a couple times literally on battlefields), has made me take the stuff for granted. Thank you for bringing the fresh eyes of an "outsider" to make me look at it anew.

Urban/suburban sprawl in this corner of the world is eating into the scenery like a cancer. Along with that is an ever-increasing population growth that spells an increase in the "good of all trumps individual liberties" attitude, ie: liberalism. As much as I love my environs I gotta get out of here. A helluva thing for a 71 year old guy to say at this stage in his life. Easier said than done........

Here's an idea. It's getting late to try to organize such a thing for this year anymore, but how about next year in the spring/summer we organize a "Campfire Civil War/Revolutionary War History Buff" get-together? Make it a week-ten day thing starting in Gettysburg and meandering much like Kirk did last week, with people joining and departing as time and schedules permit. A loose itinerary of hotels/motels/restaurants/bars (there's gotta be imbibing of an evening, no?). Heck, maybe even a range day or two thrown in because who doesn't like a break for some shooting? Campgrounds abound too. Just a thought!

That is one helluva great idea! I guess it you push the like button, it takes you away and you can’t reply!😳 Rickster, delete the like thing and give us a sarcasm button for posting!😎
I don’t know where we could go to shoot around Gettysburg, but heck yeah. Throw a rifle or two in the cab and a mattress and pillow in the back! I’m sure someone here could help with that!
I’d be on that like white on rice!😀
Warning to my friends here. I’m somewhat of an opinionated old guy! Gettysburg and Antietam are both very close friends!
I might start crying from emotion or maybe cussing a little, because it’s very real to me! 😀 It’s happened before because I love it so much! The places can and do, bring out my passion!😀
One other thing…
Some of you older guys might remember when we had a historical trivia contest here a few years ago.
I run it, keeping score every week, I posted questions in the forum. Reply was by PM, I think it lasted 5 or 6 weeks and we crowned a champion as the weather warmed up and I was running low on facts from the top of my head!😀
I think a lot of us enjoyed it, and it has entered my mind more than once about doing it again.
If a couple of us worked together to do it, I’m sure many of us would have a blast. Maybe something to think about after hunting seasons are over. Fall and early winter are our busy seasons!
But From late January until about the middle of March us Northern guys become near shut ins. I don’t want to do it myself alone, but if a couple of you are interested, shoot me a PM.
I gotta say again how much this ‘Campfire has enriched my life! More than 22 years now!
Thank again Rick!
Reon

Sounds good

I wish I had met you local guys. Moosemike showed up and we talked on top of Cemetery Ridge. Having a loose schedule, I didn’t have any itinerary to be any specific place on any specific day. We went on a tour by what appealed to us as interesting.

The last day, however, turned into a near disaster. We took the train to DC and went to the Washington and Lincoln Memorials and then headed back to the Hotel. Not knowing what stop was best, we go lucky and had help explaining how to get back.

We had 3 hours to get to our gate for boarding, but traffic turned a 45 mile ride into a nightmare. The traffic was down to 15 miles/hour for much of the way and we watched the clock tick down without getting significantly closer. We still had to return a rental car and get a shuttle to the airport.

Once we made it, running to our gate and trying to eat a sandwich, we get there and the flight is delayed for an hour so they can fix an arm rest in the plane. We only have a little over an our delay in the Airport at LasVegas (as if you would connect to Las Vegas to go to Montana) and we were concerned that we couldn’t make that connection with the delayed departure from Baltimore.

4 1/2 grueling hours in a seat for little people, we finally made it and nice people let us move up the line to make our connection. Another mile/minute run to the gate, and you guessed it, the plane is delayed again. Waiting another hour for it to show up to board and then on to Montana getting home at 11:30 which was 1:30 according to the time we left Baltimore.

We got home and went to bed realizing how uncomfortable a trip it was, and remembered how they said that the slaves had 15 inches of room on the ships as they were brought to this country. It didn’t make my trip any better, but it made me realize how many people have suffered more for less…